Ericsson Stadium

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="002285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>The World of Sports Venues</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The World of Sports Venues"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="3Com.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3Com Park"><U>3Com Park</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Edward.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Edward Jones Dome"><U>Edward Jones Dome</U></A>   |   <B>Ericsson Stadium</B>   |   <A HREF="FedEx.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FedEx Field"><U>FedEx Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Ford.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ford Field"><U>Ford Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Georgia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Georgia Dome"><U>Georgia Dome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Giants.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Giants Stadium"><U>Giants Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Lambeau.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lambeau Field"><U>Lambeau Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Superdome.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Louisiana Superdome"><U>Louisiana Superdome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Metro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Metrodome"><U>Metrodome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Raymond.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Raymond James Stadium"><U>Raymond James Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Seahawks.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Seahawks Stadium"><U>Seahawks Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Soldier.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Soldier Field"><U>Soldier Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="SunDevil.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sun Devil Stadium"><U>Sun Devil Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Texas.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Texas Stadium"><U>Texas Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Vet.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Veterans Stadium"><U>Veterans Stadium</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="001d2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.panthers.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.panthers.com"><U><IMG SRC="CPanthers.gif" border=0 width="80" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="file:///C:/My Documents/My Webs/myweb3/Stadiums/SeatingCharts/EricssonStadium.gif" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/athena/thatch"><U>Seating Chart</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="file:///C:/My Documents/My Webs/myweb3/Stadiums/Ericsson_Stadium.jpg" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/athena/thatch"><U>Photo 1</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="file:///C:/My Documents/My Webs/myweb3/Stadiums/Ericsson_2.jpg" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/athena/thatch"><U>Photo 2</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="file:///C:/My Documents/My Webs/myweb3/Stadiums/Ericsson3.jpg" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/athena/thatch"><U>Photo 3</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="file:///C:/My Documents/My Webs/myweb3/Stadiums/InsideView/Ericsson_Stadium.jpg" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/athena/thatch"><U>Photo 4</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Ericsson Stadium</I></div> <div> Address: 800 S. Mint Street</div> <div>                  Charlotte, NC  28202</div> <bR> <div> Team- Carolina Panthers</div> <bR> <div> Year Opened- 1996</div> <bR> <div> Capacity- 73,258</div> <bR> <div> Surface- Grass</div> <bR> <div> Designed by HOK Sports Facilities Group, Ericcson serves as a model for new NFL stadiums currently in development. Opened in 1996 at a cost of 187 million dollars, this 73,250 seat facility received private financing for construction. While the Carolina Panthers are the only permanent occupants, other sporting events do take place at this site, including the 1999 NCAA Men's Final Four Soccer Tournament and college football games featuring NC State and the University of North Carolina. In addition, Billy Graham and The Rolling Stones have also played Ericcson, but not together.</div> <bR> <div> Digital City Charlotte</div> <bR> <div> Located in uptown Charlotte, Ericsson Stadium has been specifically designed for football by HOK Sports Facilities Group of Kansas City, MO. This 73,258 seat, privately financed, open-air, natural-grass stadium includes training facilities, practice fields and administrative offices and serves as the headquarters for the Carolina Panthers.</div> <div> The stadium facade contains many unique elements such as massive archways and domed towers at the entries, clad in building materials that accent the Panthers black, blue and silver team colors. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the stadium is that it doesn't look like one. With its three entrances guarded by six monumental bronze panthers, the stadium appears to be a fortress instead of a sports venue.</div> <div> Ericsson Stadium features a striking black obsidian granite façade and a silver and blue seating bowl. Sculpted by Todd Andrews, a pair of black panthers, each measuring eight-feet tall, weighing more than 2,000 pounds, perched on ten-foot pedestals and named Indomitable Spirit, guard both sides of each of the three 80-foot arched entrances. The 48-foot diameter light domes atop the entry towers are lit every night and are visible for miles around.</div> <bR> <div> The interior has been designed with a generous ratio of concession and restroom facilities within wide and tall concourses, in addition to individual cup and program holders, wide seats and state of the art sound, video and scoreboard systems. The stadium playing field is a natural grass surface. Adjacent to the stadium are three practice fields, two natural grass and one artificial turf.</div> <bR> <div> Panthers and football motifs are included in the details throughout the stadium. The Panthers logo is etched in glass and cut in carpet in the North and South Lounges on the Bank of America Club, and the seating bowl features the logo on each of the end-row seats in every fifth row. The arch connecting each column support on the upper concourse is designed to look like the silhouette of half of a football.</div> <bR> <div> Ericsson Stadium raises the bar for football stadium design and marks a return to the grand architecture of early collegiate and Olympic stadiums. The ornate, imposing exterior is reminiscent of such notable landmarks as Chicago's Soldier Field, the Los Angeles Coliseum and Ohio State Stadium.</div> <bR> <div> Panthers.com</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>